The Tolucan Times » Frank Barronhttp://tolucantimes.info
Entertainment, Theatre Reviews, Sports, Community News and more.Thu, 26 Mar 2015 19:06:22 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1‘The Dovekeepers’ and ‘A.D. The Bible Continues’ are Productions of Biblical Proportions from Roma Downey and Mark Burnetthttp://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/the-dovekeepers-and-a-d-the-bible-continues-are-productions-of-biblical-proportions-from-roma-downey-and-mark-burnett/
http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/the-dovekeepers-and-a-d-the-bible-continues-are-productions-of-biblical-proportions-from-roma-downey-and-mark-burnett/#commentsThu, 19 Mar 2015 19:08:38 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=29867Collaborating as producers for the top-rated The Bible mini-series was only the start for Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. Now the talented and devoted married couple is bringing TV viewers more productions of biblical proportions. They have The Dovekeepers airing on CBS March 31st and April 1st, and A.D. The Bible Continues, a special limited series premiering on NBC April 5th, Easter Sunday.

Based on Alice Hoffman’s historical novel, The Dovekeepers follows a group of extraordinary women whose lives intersect in a fight for survival at the siege of Masada in the first century. In the title “dovekeeper” roles are Cote de Pablo (NCIS), Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards) and Kathryn Prescott (Finding Carter).

Downey talked to the Television Critics Association during the winter press tour about being inspired after she read Hoffman’s bestseller. “I absolutely fell in love with the story. I had been to Masada a few years ago and had been so profoundly touched by the story of a persecuted people who, in the face of that persecution, had stood up for what they believed in, where courage was greater than fear and faith and love was greater than hate and that the power of sacrifice greater than war.” So she met with Hoffman, and then suggested the project for CBS, home to Roma’s Touched by an Angel for more than 200 episodes.

“What attracted me to the story was that it had these amazing courageous and powerful women. For many years, as an actress myself, I was always looking for the story or the scripts that could really put women out to the front and center. And this story certainly does that. It’s profoundly moving, and it’s incredibly inspiring,” reported Downey, who filmed The Dovekeepers in Malta last year.

For NBC’s A.D. The Bible Continues, Downey and her husband Mark Burnett (Survivor, Shark Tank) continued to combine their talents as executive producers for what they describe as “a labor of love.” Roma revealed her feelings about working together as “a great privilege to be able to do what you love to do. And to be able to get to do what you love to do with the person that you love most of all in the world has really been great fun. We bring very different skill sets, and we make sure that we keep a good sense of humor.” She said that has gotten them through the challenges they faced during filming, and praised her husband for being able to wrangle large groups of people in remote areas.

A.D. filmed in Quarzazate, Morocco, a small city surrounded by the Majestic Atlas Mountains. It features an international cast that includes Juan Pablo DiPace as Jesus. The story picks up where the top rated The Bible miniseries left off exploring the events that follow the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and the struggles of his disciples, the sorrow of his mother Mary, and how the political and religious leaders of the era were affected.

“We feel privileged to be able to bring this epic television event to NBC,” says Downey. “It is an incredibly exciting and heartfelt depiction of the greatest story ever told that can now be seen by all. It is an uplifting spiritual journey through the later chapters of biblical history. More than anything combined that Mark and I have done in our careers, we’ve had more calls, more emails, more anticipation and excitement about the launch of this series.” Tune in.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/the-dovekeepers-and-a-d-the-bible-continues-are-productions-of-biblical-proportions-from-roma-downey-and-mark-burnett/feed/0Ken Burns Presents ‘Cancer: Emperor of All Maladies’ on PBShttp://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/ken-burns-presents-cancer-emperor-of-all-maladies-on-pbs/
http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/ken-burns-presents-cancer-emperor-of-all-maladies-on-pbs/#commentsThu, 12 Mar 2015 22:46:09 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=29804Cancer: Emperor of All Maladies is an important three-part documentary series executive produced by the esteemed filmmaker of landmark programming Ken Burns. His films have been teaching audiences about a variety of subjects through his acclaimed historical documentaries such as The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, Prohibition, National Parks, World War II, etc. And now he wants to help shine a light on the history of cancer with the program based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” by Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D.

The six-hour film directed by Barak Goodman will air on PBS on Monday, March 30th, Tuesday, March 31st and Wednesday, April 1st.

At the Television Critics Association’s 2015 winter press tour Burns, Goodman and Dr. Mukherjee spoke about their efforts to tell a comprehensive story of cancer, from its first written description in an ancient Egyptian scroll, to the modern research institutions trying to find a cure. The film interweaves a historical narrative with personal stories about patients, and an investigation into the latest scientific breakthroughs that may signal hope for cures.

The film is divided into three episodes — Magic Bullets: following the search for a cure; The Blind Men and the Elephant: about understanding the essential nature of the cancer cell; and Finding an Achilles Heel: offering a look at the how scientists are trying to crack the mystery of the malignant cell, and the development of therapies.

Although Burns usually develops his own productions, the Cancer series is a personal subject for him. “What drives me is any subject that is close to my heart,” Burns said. He praised Dr. Mukherjee’s source material as “an extraordinary work of literature, not just of science, not just an amazing detective story that the ‘The Emperor of All Maladies’ is, but also this extraordinary blueprint for Barak and me to follow.”

Burns explained, “This film probably has more wattage in terms of brainpower of scientists and physicians — and merge all of that together into what is an incredibly existential sort of roller coaster of emotions, roller coaster of discoveries. Every time there’s huge failure it actually opens a little door to progress. Every time everyone’s confident that this is going to be solved, the door slams shut, and we feel sort of embarrassed at having declared a premature victory. That’s the nature of science and the nature of this story, which I think makes it all the more interesting.”

Dr. Mukherjee said that cancer goes back to the origin of human history. “There are certainly mummies with cancer that have been exhumed with cancer still growing in the bone. Everything that we know about the cellular biology of cancer tells us that the disease has been with us since the origin of humans,” he revealed.

The origin of the film began in 2010 thanks to producer Laura Ziskin (Pretty Women, Spider-Man), a Stand Up To Cancer co-founder, who wanted to produce a documentary about cancer from the time she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. Ziskin (who lived with cancer for seven years, and died in 2011) got the rights from Dr. Mukherjee, and WETA president and CEO Sharon Percy Rockefeller (who underwent cancer treatment) came on board and connected with Burns, who lost his mother to breast cancer when he was 11. Many more supported the production and helped get it made.

Rockefeller stated, “Cancer touches the lives of nearly everyone in America. The statistics are staggering. In our lifetime, 1 in 2 men, 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 300 children will have cancer.” During her cancer battle, Rockefeller said she “became entranced by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee’s amazing new Pulitzer Prize-winning book ‘The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.’ Fascinating and inspiring, it finally defined for me the context and the enemy I was fighting. I resolved that I would do anything I could to make ‘The Emperor of All Maladies’ into a film that would have immense impact.”

Burns noted that at this stage of the battle against cancer, “we’re at a place where the patients become central to their own care,” so this PBS film endeavors to offer a better understanding of the struggles they face and the hope that looms. Tune in.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/ken-burns-presents-cancer-emperor-of-all-maladies-on-pbs/feed/0Publicists Awards Honor Excellence with Bob Newhart, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Netflix, Bob and Harvey Weinsteinhttp://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/publicists-awards-honor-excellence-with-bob-newhart-cheryl-boone-isaacs-netflix-bob-and-harvey-weinstein/
http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/publicists-awards-honor-excellence-with-bob-newhart-cheryl-boone-isaacs-netflix-bob-and-harvey-weinstein/#commentsFri, 06 Mar 2015 15:42:27 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=29691Just three days before the Oscars®, the 52nd Annual ICG Publicists Awards was held and Hollywood’s hard working publicity people joined members of the International Cinematographers Guild, along with their president Steven Poster, ASC, to honor some great folks in the entertainment industry.

The luncheon was a celebration of the professionals behind the scenes who generate great swells of attention for television and movie productions, as well as the performers in the business. “It’s not an easy job,” Poster told the gathering at the Beverly Hilton. Neither is putting together a great awards ceremony. That’s thanks to the efforts of awards committee chairman Henri Bollinger, a legend to all in the room, and co-chair Tim Menke, who is remarkable at delivering a flawless event. Bollinger kicked things off telling everyone, “We sing the praises of those who have excelled in an art form that dates back to the earliest days of circuses and vaudeville.”

The much loved comedy icon and actor Bob Newhart, 85, received a Lifetime Achievement Award, and after a great clip reel he treated the crowd to his special brand of deadpan humor. “I started doing standup in 1960, and this afternoon I’m going to Palm Springs to do standup, in case you want to see me. People ask me why I keep going, and the alternative to me is that movie Sunset Boulevard, and I can’t see me telling someone what episode of The Bob Newhart Show I want to see,” he joked.

Two giants in the film industry received the Motion Picture Showmanship Award. The co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein, were presented their trophy by Billy Bob Thornton, who worked on several of their movies, from Sling Blade to Bad Santa. Thornton praised Bob and Harvey for taking B-movies and making them “independent films.” Harvey Weinstein is regarded as the father of the modern day awards campaign, and Thornton said, “They are two guys who know the value of publicity for the box office.”

The Weinsteins’ film The Imitation Game was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar this year. The founders of Miramax, Bob and Harvey have previously received Academy Awards for Best Picture for The English Patient (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Chicago (2002), The Kings Speech (2010) and The Artist (2011).

Speaking of the Oscars, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, was honored with The President’s Award from ICG president Poster, and it was presented by Ava DuVernay, director of the Oscar-nominated film Selma. Ava and Cheryl both talked about getting their start in the publicity field.

From my days as editor of The Hollywood Reporter, I got to know Cheryl when she was at Paramount where she rose through the ranks because of her outstanding work leading the studio’s publicity department. It’s been great to see her become a leader in the industry and take the reins as head of the Motion Picture Academy®. I agree with Henri Bollinger who said, “Cheryl represents the finest qualities of our profession. She has an extraordinary track record as a marketing executive, while at the same time devoting her talents and influence to improving the public perception of all who contribute to the cinematic arts.” Cheryl Boone Isaacs certainly deserves the recognition.

Another award was given out for TV Showmanship Award and Chelsea Handler presented it to the Chief Content Officer at Netflix, Ted Sarandos. Handler noted he is “leading a revolution at Netflix” responsible for an exceptional lineup of programs, including House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black.

The highest honor publicists can bestow on one of their own is the Les Mason Award, which Octavia Spencer (The Help) presented to Melissa Kates of Viewpoint PR. The Bob Yeager Award for Community Service went to Justine Gamez, a publicist at Warner Bros. Tony Denison (Major Crimes) and Bruce Davison (X-Men film series) announced Wilson Webb got the Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Motion Pictures, and Ursula Coyote got the Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Television. Scott Eastwood (Snowden) gave the Press Award to Dave Karger at Fandango.com, and Rocio Ayuso from Spain got the International Media Award from Maddalena Ischiale (Unbroken).

Presented by Melora Hardin (Transparent), the Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for TV went to Jane The Virgin, from CBS Television Studios for the CW network. It was accepted by Arpi Ketendjian for the entire team. The Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for a movie went to Columbia Pictures’ The Interview. Publicist Andre Caraco was funny when he accepted for his team thanking “the supreme leader of North Korea.”

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/publicists-awards-honor-excellence-with-bob-newhart-cheryl-boone-isaacs-netflix-bob-and-harvey-weinstein/feed/0Gary Owens The Golden Voice That Launched a Thousand Quips from ‘Beautiful Downtown Burbank’http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/gary-owens-the-golden-voice-that-launched-a-thousand-quips-from-beautiful-downtown-burbank/
http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/gary-owens-the-golden-voice-that-launched-a-thousand-quips-from-beautiful-downtown-burbank/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 22:23:14 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=29551The “voice that launched a thousand quips” is now silent with the passing of Gary Owens. One of Hollywood’s finest and funniest men, Owens put the international spotlight on “beautiful downtown Burbank” when he became the golden voice announcer for Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.

The broadcasting legend died from complications from diabetes, which he battle most of his life. But Owens never let the disease get in the way of enjoying life and building an outstanding career in comedy and performing on radio, television, commercials, and cartoons. He and his wonderful wife Arleta (married 47 years) raised two great sons they were very proud of, Chris and Scott. I know this because Gary and I were pals for more than half a century, and I will miss his voice and his friendship.

We first met in the early 1960s, after Gary (a native of South Dakota, born May 10, 1936) moved to Los Angeles to further his broadcasting career. He was an announcer for one radio station, and I did publicity for another. We got together at various events and swapped jokes—he always had the funniest one-liners. For a while back in those early days, on summer nights when I’d be coming back from Dodger Stadium, I would pop over to the radio station where Gary did his late night show and he’d invite me to join him at the microphone. We’d have so much fun just talking and joking, that I was asked by an engineer from my own station if I was a regular on the show with Owens. No, it was just friends who could be funny in front of a mic.

Years ago Gary asked me to join him for a radio show for the troops overseas. It was all ad lib sharp comedy, and he was the master at it. It was only an hour but we could have gone all day, bouncing comedy bits off of each other. He was a sheer delight to work with, because it wasn’t never really work it was just kidding around with a friend.

In more recent years we’d see each other at the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters luncheons. When he was on the dais to toast the honorees, it was always a highlight of the events. When Johnny Mathis was honored over a year and a half ago, Gary was still at the top of his game roasting his friend with great humor. Always by his side was Gary’s terrific wife Arleta, enjoying his comedy as much as all of us. I’ve always enjoyed talking to Arleta too when I would call Gary at home in Encino. The last time I called, there was a different tone to his magnificent low voice and I’m sorry now that it is gone along with the man who did a lot to raise funds on behalf of diabetes and other charities.

Ironically, Gary was diagnosed with diabetes at age nine, and not given much time to live. But thank heaven he proved the doctors wrong and gave the world a chance to enjoy the talents of the man who passed away at age 78.

A versatile performer, in addition to his career as an announcer and deejay, Gary acted in films and on TV. He wrote books, including “How to Make a Million Dollars with Your Voice (or Lose Your Tonsils Trying)” and did a series of comedy CDs with his pal Jonathan Winters. Owens appeared on-camera on more than 1,000 network TV shows, has voiced more than 3,000 cartoons, and has emceed Emmy and Grammy telecasts. Owens was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame for both radio and television, and the Radio Hall of Fame, and he was very proud to have his star next to Walt Disney’s on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And Cal State Northridge has a broadcast booth dedicated in his honor.

Owens accomplished many things but he is best remembered as the announcer who cupped his hand over his ear and boomed “From beautiful downtown Burbank,” to start off each hilarious show for Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In debuting in 1967. Gary always liked to tell the story that Laugh-In’s creator-producer George Schlatter hired him for the NBC show after he “auditioned in the men’s room of the Burbank restaurant, because the acoustics were great. I cupped my hand over my ear as the old time radio announcers did, because they had to drown out the band’s loud music behind them.” That was the start of well-deserved international fame for the man with the golden voice.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/gary-owens-the-golden-voice-that-launched-a-thousand-quips-from-beautiful-downtown-burbank/feed/0Rainn Wilson Stars as the Grumpy Detective Backstrom on Foxhttp://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/rainn-wilson-stars-as-the-grumpy-detective-backstrom-on-fox/
http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/rainn-wilson-stars-as-the-grumpy-detective-backstrom-on-fox/#commentsSat, 14 Feb 2015 00:29:00 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=29465Backstrom is called a comedic crime procedural, starring Rainn Wilson of The Office fame. The new Fox TV series is from Bones creator Hart Hanson and centers on a brilliant, but extremely difficult detective Everett Backstrom. He’s a cop who sees the worst in everyone, and usually he’s right.

The role is a huge departure from Dwight Schrute, the odd but eventually lovable character Wilson played on The Office. Now he’s playing Det. Backstrom, an angry chauvinist, whose rants are unfiltered and offensive. But he has a knack for solving tough crimes, as well as annoying nearly everyone.

Would the affable Wilson want Backstrom as a friend? Rainn was interviewed at the winter TCA press tour and revealed, “I can relate to someone whose life is falling apart, and they’re doing their best to get by using humor to survive. I think we all have experienced that in small doses or we know people that live that way. Backstrom really wears his heart on his sleeve, and his life is unraveling.”

What appealed to Wilson about the character is “watching a brilliant detective at work while things are just not working for him anymore personally, and just falling apart is really interesting. I would much rather hang out with that person than a slick procedural detective who’s got all the answers and effortlessly speaks in these kind of quips as their CSI team looks at every microfiber and everything resolves perfectly every single week. It’s human. It’s frail. And it’s interesting,” Rainn insisted.

The Fox show is set in Portland, but based on a popular Scandinavian book se

Rainn Wilson stars in “Backstrom” on Fox.

ries. Producer-creator Hart Hanson said, “As the series goes on, the people learn to like him.” Wilson’s co-stars are Dennis Haysbert, Genevieve Angelson, Kristoffer Polaha, Page Kennedy, and Thomas Dekker, and they actually expressed a strange regard for the grumpy detective. Polaha said, “I play Peter Niedermayer, and my character loves Backstrom for his honesty and for his candor. He thinks he’s uniquely tapped into the universe. But in real life he’s horrible.”

Dennis Haysbert plays Detective John Almond, a kind and religious man, who tries to see Backstrom in a different light. Haysbert said, “If you’re working with a person like this, you have to work with them and become friends. You find out what his issues are, and you find out, okay, this guy is not as bad, and what he’s doing is kind of a defense against not being liked. Maybe he doesn’t want to be liked because then he’d have to tell everyone, ‘Okay. I’m human.’ But I think if Det. Almond wasn’t a pastor and a detective, he probably would have shot him.”

Wilson explained that there’s a “beautiful arc to the story that Hart has written over the thirteen episodes, where everyone in this ensemble gets to see some other sides of Backstrom and see what makes him tick and how he got that way. So we’re kind of asking this of the audience, to kind of take a little ride with us.” Yes, this guy is a jerk, but Rainn said once you take the ride and get to know him a little bit, “you’re going to start learning some really interesting things about him and his coping mechanisms. He has a family, and we get to meet his father, played by the great Robert Forster. We meet his ex-fiancée, played by the great Sarah Chalke. And it’s a nice through line for the first season.”

Wilson reported he embraces the opportunity to show his versatility after playing the same character for so long. He got the script for the cop show just days after wrapping up the ninth and final season of The Office. “It really hooked me,” he said. “You know, really interesting, varied parts with lots of different facets and colors and textures don’t come along very much for weird looking, 48 year old, pasty white dudes.” Wilson turned 49 on January 20th, and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, fiction writer Holiday Reinhorn, their son, a couple of pit bulls, and a pet donkey.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/rainn-wilson-stars-as-the-grumpy-detective-backstrom-on-fox/feed/0Celebrating His 96th Birthday, Frank Barron Goes Down Memory Lane with The Pinky Lee Showhttp://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/celebrating-his-96th-birthday-frank-barron-goes-down-memory-lane-with-the-pinky-lee-show/
http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/celebrating-his-96th-birthday-frank-barron-goes-down-memory-lane-with-the-pinky-lee-show/#commentsThu, 05 Feb 2015 20:16:44 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=29379“Yoo hoo! It’s me! My name is Pinky Lee! I skip and run with lots of fun, for every he and she. It’s plain to see, that you can tell it’s me, with my checkered hat, and my checkered coat, the funny giggle in my throat. And my silly dance, like a billy goat…” And thus Pinky Lee opened his daily comedy and variety show on NBC. It was a popular children’s show, but many adults remember it fondly.

Looking back at my writing career in Hollywood, working for The Pinky Lee Show was a great gig. It was in the early ’50s when NBC decided they needed a good kiddie program. So who did they turn to? A comic, a burlesque performer named Pinky Lee, noted for his checkered hat and suit, as well as his lisp. He was skilled at keeping an unruly audience entertained. How they got him I’ll never know, but NBC landed him for a half-hour children’s show offering music and comedy. It was unheard of at the time for a kid’s show, but I happily joined the creative team that launched The Pinky Lee Show in 1954. It became so popular that within just a few months the NBC network boasted it was the daytime ratings winner.

Producer Lee Wainer hired me as the head writer for the show. I had done a lot of comedy writing for the early days of television, but not for children’s shows. Nevertheless, I figured — funny is funny, and audiences of all ages love to laugh at something that’s funny. And I would do my best to provide that. I had written for Red Skelton, Edgar Bergen, and shows such as Fibber McGee & Molly, Duffy’s Tavern, etc. Those were great stars and great shows. Now I’d be creating comedy bits and writing jokes for Pinky Lee.

Who was he and where did he come from? Pinky (aka Pincus Leff) was from Minnesota and had done clean comedy in burlesque and dinner theater. He did the movie Lady of Burlesque with Barbara Stanwyck and Roy Rogers films, as well as radio and TV. He was a comic who was small in stature, thus identifiable to his pint-size audience, and his genuine lisp endeared him to the kids.

Pinky was talented as a singer, dancer, able to improvise on the spot, and his comic timing was the best in the business. Working with him, I admired his sponge-like mind — Pinky could hear a joke, or routine, read a script, and almost memorize it immediately.

The Pinky Lee Show had Jimmy Brown as the “second banana,” another former burlesque performer and an imposing physical figure. No matter the storyline, Jimmy was always Pinky’s “boss.” They made a great team. Then there was teenage singer Molly Beechwood, known as Molly Bee who sang on every episode. More music came from master organist Gaylor Carter, who could improvise music on the mighty Wurlitzer for any situation.

Rehearsals took place mostly at Pinky’s swank apartment on Wilshire Boulevard. Pinky learned new songs and dance routines, and everyone got into the act. The writers, myself and Lou Derman, handed in scripts for the 30-minute show on a daily basis.

The young audience loved the silly antics. Pinky would deliberately goof a line or a situation, and “boss” Jimmy would grab him by the lapels of his checkered jacket and bounce him up and down. Physical comedy made the kids roar with laughter.

But the physical strain eventually hit Pinky hard, and he had what people thought was a heart attack during a live show (it is reported that he actually collapsed because of a severe sinus attack). He had to take time off after that to take care of his health, and his show went off the air in 1957.

The Pinkly Lee Show had a good run, and is fondly remembered by kids of the era. Later on, it seemed that Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) tried to imitate Pinky Lee for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, with the checkered suit and hat, along with the laugh and silly behavior. But Pinky Lee was the original, who was a great comic and took our scripts and got big laughs a long time ago.

(Happy Birthday: writer Frank Barron turns 96 on Feb. 5th)

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/celebrating-his-96th-birthday-frank-barron-goes-down-memory-lane-with-the-pinky-lee-show/feed/0NBC is Looking Ahead, Developing Exciting Series and Shows with a Music Connectionhttp://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/nbc-is-looking-ahead-developing-exciting-series-and-shows-with-a-music-connection/
http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/nbc-is-looking-ahead-developing-exciting-series-and-shows-with-a-music-connection/#commentsSun, 25 Jan 2015 16:49:07 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=29184

Debra Messing

NBC is looking for big ratings for its midseason roll out, hoping success will be found with talented stars and interesting shows. This fall the peacock network offered The Mysteries of Laura starring Debra Messing, which is a fun mom/cop twist on NYPD investigations. It got a full season pick up, and has grown creatively with every episode thanks to great writing. Other freshman shows, State of Affairs, Constantine, Bad Judge, Marry Me, and A to Z were part of the lineup of hits and misses, but the level of talent that was trotted out was undeniable.

Now get ready for more shows which will include new dramas Allegiance, Odyssey, The Slap, and A.D., as well as the new comedy One Big Happy, plus returning series Parks and Recreation, Celebrity Apprentice, The Night Shift, Undateable, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.

According to Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, and Jennifer Salke, president of the NBC Entertainment division, the network is looking ahead even further, making deals for new shows with top producers and stars. The future includes Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) who will star and produce the comedy series Telenovela, Greenblatt announced at the current Television Critics Association’s winter press tour.

He said, “We’ve just closed a deal for a 13-episode series commitment to Eva Longoria for a comedy series called Telenovela, which is a behind the scenes look at the craziness that goes into the making of a telenovela. Eva will produce and star. She plays, of course, the beautiful and overly dramatic diva star of a very popular telenovela. I think with the amazing success of these telenovelas, and the rapid increase of the Latino audience, I think this show will be very timely for us.”

Greenblatt was also excited about moving forward with an eight-hour miniseries tentatively called Freedom Run. He said, “It’s set against the backdrop of the Underground Railroad, focusing on three couples, all based on real people who endured some of the most incredible hardships as slaves, but they fought for their freedom. It’s based on an extraordinary book, and among its producers is Stevie Wonder, who I think you all know is a very outspoken supporter of civil rights and one of the forces behind the establishment of the Martin Luther King holiday.” Also, simultaneously, NBC will be developing a Broadway musical adaptation of the miniseries, and the hope is that Stevie will be writing an original score for that show, which will happen further down the road.

There are other musical connections for NBC, which has presented the live ratings-grabber The Sound of Music, and more recently Peter Pan for new generations to enjoy. Greenblatt said the network intends to do another live musical next year. “We’ve still got 11 months, so The Music Man is something we have optioned the rights to and we are actually looking very seriously at some casting options. But we also just optioned the rights for The Wiz, which is sort of a reinvention of The Wizard of Oz. It was on Broadway in the ’80s. And that could be what we do instead. So it will either be The Music Man or The Wiz,” he reported.

A music icon will be coming to NBC, with a deal set to develop a series of television movies with Dolly Parton that will be based on her songs, stories and her inspiring life. Greenblatt said, “What we’re going to try to do is create some uplifting movies that the entire family can enjoy together, which I think is a genre of programming that still seems pretty untapped on broadcast television. To know Dolly is to love her, and I think these movies will be infused with her genuine hopefulness and positive outlook, not to mention a lot of her music.”

Even though Jennifer Lopez is keeping busy judging music star wannabes on Fox TV’s American Idol, she is also preparing to start production on a new series called Shades of Blue. “This is a dark cop show with her at the center and a big ensemble around her. She plays a single mother and a detective recruited to work undercover for the FBI’s anticorruption task force. I think this will be a show where she returns a little bit to her roots from that great movie Out of Sight. We’re really excited so far by the scripts that we’ve seen. We go into production in June,” Greenblatt reported.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/nbc-is-looking-ahead-developing-exciting-series-and-shows-with-a-music-connection/feed/0National Geographic Channel Goes Biblical with Killing Jesushttp://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/national-geographic-channel-goes-biblical-with-killing-jesus/
http://tolucantimes.info/inside-this-issue/national-geographic-channel-goes-biblical-with-killing-jesus/#commentsFri, 16 Jan 2015 17:22:57 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=29127Probably the most literal translation on the life of Jesus is presented for National Geographic Channel’s Killing Jesus, a three-hour movie premiering this spring. It will go global, to be broadcast in 171 and in 45 languages, produced by Scott Free Production’s Ridley Scott, and Bill O’Reilly, the author (with Martin Dugard) of the Killing Jesus, A History, plus Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy, which were also top-rated for NatGeo.

Killing Jesus is an epic production, with more than 93 speaking roles, shot entirely in the Moroccan desert with an international crew and more than 4,500 extras. The all-star international cast has Kelsey Grammer playing King Herod, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Herodia, Eoin Macken as Antipas, Chris Ryman as Malchus, Stephanie Leonidas as Salome, Joe Doyle as Judas, Alexis Rodney as Simon/Peter, and Haaz Sleiman in the title role of Jesus. They all joined screenwriter Walon Green, and executive producers David Zucker and Teri Weinberg at the current Television Critics Association’s winter press tour at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena to talk about the ambitious project. Stephen Moyer who plays Pontius Pilate is also part of the ensemble.

Based on the best-selling book by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, Killing Jesus chronicles the life of Jesus of Nazareth through the retelling of the intense political, social and historical conflicts during the Roman Empire that ultimately led to his death. Jesus lived at a time when the Roman Empire dominated the Western world, and he made powerful enemies while preaching a philosophy of peace and love. Today, more than 2.2 billion people follow his teachings, but the intimate historical details of the time usually remain secondary to his story.

Walon Green, who adapted the book, said the NatGeo movie is different in a major, enormous respect. The movies that have been done about Jesus, from King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Passion of the Christ, etc., “have basically been from the point of view of Jesus, and this is a film that’s really placing a man in his times. The story has to involve the times around him to the degree that you realize that a critical stage is coming in this person’s life, that he cannot do what he is doing without political and other religious forces coalescing against him, and that this will inevitable result in his death. So, if anything, to put this in the shortest terms possible, this is like the behind-the-scenes story of the life and death of Jesus Christ.”

Kelsey Grammer reported that he remembered “as a boy in Sunday school that Herod was the guy who killed kids.” Preparing for his role he learned much more. “He was a man of his time. I discovered that he killed some of his own children, and this was just what he did. He was a killer…that had to do some very despicable things to maintain balance, power, all sorts of things in his own life. Politically, he was in between the Romans and the Hebrews, representing the Hebrews but basically appointed by the Romans. So he was always worried about being killed, which I thought was fascinating.”

Haaz Sleiman said when he got the role to play Jesus the first thought that went through his head was “love. I really just felt love in the moment because, he has influenced me heavily prior to me finding out that I got this part, and there’s nothing more powerful than that. I just connected with that feeling of love and that lead me through the whole journey to do this film. That was the first thing that I thought of, and then I called my mother.”

Sleiman, who was raised Muslim, explained that the teachings of Jesus have influenced him. “Basically love your neighbor as you love yourself, not to judge others. Those are huge ideas that I aspire to live by.”

Grammer added, “I think anytime you go ahead and humanize what is a Bible story, or the story of Christ, I think it will win praise from every part of the Christian world because I think they find that increased modern relevance is desirable.”

The multi-talented Rita Moreno has been a familiar face over the years since she burst on the scene in the acclaimed musical film West Side Story in 1961, for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Also an Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner, Moreno was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Career Achievement Award last year, and there are no signs of her slowing down now at age 83, and looking great.

In addition to having a fun little nosey neighbor role in the comedy feature Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Moreno costars with Rachel Boston (Witches of East End) and Jesse Moss (Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove) in A Gift of Miracles, premiering Sunday, January 11th as part of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ original productions. The family-friendly film follows Darcy (Boston), a scientific grad student who must let go of her logic when she finds a list of items to give away written by the late mother she never knew. With the encouragement of her enthusiastic new mentor, she attempts to return everything on the list and begins to encounter unexplainable coincidences that help her to understand the “gift of miracles” in her life.

His face may not be familiar to viewing audiences, but his intense drama shows certainly are—producer Dick Wolf (the Law & Order franchise, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D.) has a reality series coming up. On A&E, Nightwatch will follow multiple sets of police officers, firefighters and EMTS, among other emergency responders who work the overnight shift in New Orleans. It premieres January 22nd on A&E with an episode featuring the EMTs working to save a man bleeding from gunshot wounds and the police investigating who shot him. That’s about as real as it gets for reality TV.

Charlie Sheen just wrapped the final season of his syndicated series Anger Management, and now has rumors going around about returning for the series-finale of Two and a Half Men in February on CBS. It’s been confirmed that he’ll definitely be reprising the small role he had in the classic 1986 teen comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Sheen will recreate his role as the bad boy in the police station talking to Ferris’ sister, by being placed in a similar situation in an episode of the ABC comedy The Goldbergs airing in April.

Seeing the cast of the new CSI spin-off CSI: Cyber, premiering March 3 on CBS, is like a tour down memory lane of pop culture TV shows. The police procedural has James Van Der Beek of Dawson’s Creek fame; Patricia Arquette who has been part of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire ensemble, and before that starred in the NBC series Medium; Charley Koontz from Community; Peter MacNichol is a great character actor who has been part of Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope, and 24; and former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry guest stars in the first episode in the potentially recurring role of a former FBI agent. The show focuses on the FBI’s team of cybercrime investigators, headed by Special Agent Avery Ryan (Arquette), working to solve cases involving the “dark-net.”

HBO’s series Girls opens its Season Four on Jan. 11th with writer-producer-star Lena Dunham. Returning guest stars for upcoming episodes include the familiar faces of Rita Wilson, Peter Scolari, Gaby Hoffman, and Louise Lasser, among others.

Also coming this spring on HBO, the multi-talented Queen Latifah stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO Films’ Bessie. The drama focuses on Smith’s transformation from a struggling young singer into “The Empress of the Blues.” She was one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s and became an enduring music icon. Bessie also stars Michael Kenneth Williams, Khandi Alexander, Mike Epps, Oliver Platt, with Charles S. Dutton and Mo’Nique. Queen Latifah is also the executive producer of Bessie, with a story by Horton Foote and screen writer/director Dee Rees.

Over the years in Hollywood, there have been few prominent television producers who have become as noteworthy as their shows. Among them Norman Lear, Aaron Spelling, and Steven Bochco are rare in the business for being names that audiences recognize.

Now this year, breaking into the predominately male dominated mega-producers’ clubhouse is Shonda Rhimes. She is the creative powerhouse behind the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, political crisis saga Scandal, and new show How to Get Away With Murder, that became the successful Thursday night block of dramas on ABC this fall. Fans of those shows know her name and appreciate the work she does.

“I don’t consider it work,” Rhimes insists about her job as producer, running the shows and creating the best for her audiences. Sometimes she steps in as writer and every day she enjoys getting up in the morning and going to work, “because it’s exciting.”

She was not intimidated when ABC decided to schedule an entire night of Shonda Rhimes programming this season. At the Television Critics Associate’s press tour she brushed aside the comments about her quest for “world domination” saying, “I’m feeling like I’m getting up and going to work every day and we’re all doing our jobs. And I don’t think of it in terms of the night. I think it’s exciting and it’s a great vote of confidence from ABC, and that’s fantastic. But we have shows to make and that’s always been my focus. I don’t think about the programming and ratings. I don’t worry about those things. We just worry about making great shows.” And the top ratings followed.

The very focused and influential Rhimes doesn’t worry about comparisons between her and Viola Davis’ role in How to Get Away With Murder. Viola plays an intensely intimidating law school professor in charge of an interesting first year criminal law class. When someone asked if the character, who is very much in control and rules the room, feels autobiographical, Shonda said no because “I didn’t write it, and so it’s not about me. She’s not like me at all. But I find her a fascinating, interesting character who’s incredibly complex and, as played by a Viola, really intriguing. I think there are aspects of her that I think we all wish we could be like.”

Rhimes is a screenwriter-producer (as well as director) who is known for having a strong creative voice, distinctive style, and the ability to run multiple shows on the air at the same time. But her incredible career did not start at the top.

Shonda Lynn Rhimes was born in Chicago. Her parents were in the academic world, and she went to Dartmouth College, developing an interest in acting and directing when she took some drama classes. She also studied screenwriting at USC, and her first attention-grabbing script was for HBO’s Introducing Dorothy Dandridge starring Halle Berry. She also did the Disney movie Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement screenplay. Then she made an important breakthrough as a creator-producer-writer with Grey’s Anatomy in 2005. Its spinoff, Private Practice, came in 2007. All her projects are under her ShondaLand production company formed in 2004, and the idea of her roller coaster logo seen at the end of her shows “comes from a takeoff on my own Disneyland type adventure. That what we have created with our little ShondaLand community — excitement and adventure.”

Rhimes has been nominated for a couple of Emmy awards for writing and producing. She has won the Directors Guild’s diversity award, along with several NAACP Image Awards for her productions. The AFI named Scandal the 2013 program of the year. She is a Writer’s Guild Award winner, and it was recently announced that the powerhouse producer-writer will receive the WGA West’s Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for achievement in television writing at the upcoming West Coast ceremony for the WGA Awards in February, 2015.

On the personal side, last year President Obama appointed Rhimes?to serve as a Trustee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Shonda also keeps busy raising three daughters.